Night on the Beach

There were so many stars I was almost impossible to focus on them. This is what met us one August night on the beach in Wellfleet. We had finally decided to take a full week family vacation and our first choice was Wellfleet. Having spent every August in this quaint town as a kid the idea was comforting. Low stress, simple schedules, the promise of great food and afternoons on the beach was all the elements that convinced us that this was the perfect choice.

Our intended itinerary for the week was pretty basic. Sleeping late was on the top of the list as well as afternoons at the beach, surfing and time to sit and read. Our evening activities included family meals on the grill at home, a couple nights out at local favorites, the drive-in movie and night fishing.

Our night out on the beach was by far my favorite activity. We had talked earlier in the week about securing a beach bonfire permit but as the days wore on we let go of that idea and by the time the designated evening came we decided to just gather several flashlights and head down to the beach.

When we arrived we were surprised to see about eight groups huddled around their respective campfires. It was a lovely evening but a late August chill had set in and we were all glad we had come appropriately dressed in pants and sweatshirts. As the guys set up the fishing lines and poles my daughter and I situated ourselves on the beach. She began the evening with a cartwheel and handstand contest and I was the designated judge. After a while, we grew bored with my non-creative and inattentive judging and I decided to lie back in the sand and watch the stars.

What a spectacular idea that turned out to be. At first my eyes, still used to the light of the surrounding bonfires and flashlights didn’t see much but as I relaxed and looked up in the heavens millions of stars began to reveal themselves. I was able to identify a few of the basic constellations learned in my college astronomy class but I knew there were more that I couldn’t remember. I regret the day I complained that the stuff they taught would never be relevant in life as my daughter asked over and over again, “what is that group of stars called?”

We laid there for a while as the guys cast out into the surf hoping for a fish to bite. The songs sung around near-by campfires faded into giggles and laughter as the singers forgot words or started to make up new ones. Several groups started to leave their campfires and we thought to do the same. There was a lot of reluctance from all of us to leave the beach. It signified an end to our weeklong vacation and the increasingly bite to the air reminded us again that what the future held; cool Autumn days, back to school shopping, the holidays and inevitably the winter. We gathered our things, headed up the dunes and took one last look back. We’ll see the beach again but this particular evening had come to an end.